Celebrating social work professionals during the month of March is a great reminder of the value and importance of the collaboration between rehab and social services. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the theme for this year is, The Time is Right for Social Work, and our rehab professionals could not agree more.
Our social services teams commit to coordinating and managing the welfare of our residents, both short- and long-term. Social Services plays a valuable role in providing quality care in many ways.
- The social services team assesses needs, determines deficits and barriers, and promotes solutions for continuity of care.
- The social services team ensures effective and ongoing communication between the resident, family, and clinical services, including rehab.
- The social services team provides education, information, emotional support and encouragement to residents and families.
- In tandem with rehab, the skills of our social workers are necessary for
- initial assessments
- discharge planning
- assisting with transitions through various levels of care, including long-term placement, AL, IL, and home and community living
- making connections with home health care and initiating the setup of medical provisions including equipment, medication, and other post-discharge necessities.
Our rehab teams rely on the skills of the social service professionals to foster enhanced communication throughout the IDT and with residents and their families. Our rehab teams consult frequently with social services to ensure residents’ needs are met as they transition to the next level of care and living environment.
The time is right for our rehab teams to extend sincere appreciation during this celebratory month, and beyond, for the exceptional work our social services teams do and the unyielding compassionate service they provide to our residents and campus communities.
